Coventry skipper Scott Nicholls heaped praise on two of his team-mates after Friday’s exciting win over Belle Vue sent his side into the World Cup break on a high.

The Buildbase Bees had to recover from a poor start against the Aces before taking a 51-39 victory, and of the five 5-1 maximum heat advantages they recorded, flying reserve Aaron Summers was involved in the first four.

The fifth came in Heat 15 as Nicholls combined with the hugely popular Grzegorz Zengota to ensure all three league points from the meeting – and the captain says both riders can take plenty of credit for their efforts.

Zengota was the final piece in the Coventry jigsaw this season in the spot originally earmarked for Ben Barker, but when those plans changed Nicholls had an input into bringing in the Polish rider.

Nicholls said: “It was actually my mechanic Maciej who actually spoke to Zengi in the winter and helped him sort the deal out.

“He was one of the riders I’d talked to Mick (Horton) about when he had a few options, and I knew he was a rider who was keen to come to Coventry and keen to impress.

Aaron Summers (Image: Jeff Davies)

“He had a nasty injury a couple of years ago and his confidence took a bit of a dip, but he’s certainly found the quick way around Brandon and he’s been on fire in our last few home matches, so that was a great signing for us.

“In that Heat 15 he made a fantastic start, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure where he was going to go so I went wide and cut back and he’d kind-of done the same thing, but it worked out for us, we both got to where we needed to be and kept Matej (Zagar) behind us.

“We didn’t need the 5-1 to get all of the points but it’s nice to have a convincing win and important to get maximum points out of it.

“Aaron rode fantastically well, and it’s great to see. He’s good on the bike and I’ve had a couple of really good rides with him.

“He’s a steady rider and it’s nice to ride with someone who you can have trust in as well, so we’re pleased with how he’s going.”

Nicholls also had words of consolation for reserve Adam Roynon, who has found the going tough on his return to Elite League action after serious injury, having effectively given his rivals a three-month start in terms of race sharpness.

Roynon will undoubtedly benefit from two more matches at Premier League level for Sheffield this week with the Bees having no meeting until they face Birmingham on July 26.

Nicholls said: “Adam is having a bit of a tough time at the moment, and he’s still got a long way to go yet as he’s coming back from a big injury.

“He needs to get his confidence going but I’m sure with the rest of the boys going well we can lift his spirits and get him performing as well.”